Rarely do I post a piece straight from any clearly left or right leaning publication; they aren’t always helpful in encouraging respectful dialogue with those who think differently, as we learn to listen well and sharpen one another.<\/p>\n
Today is different. The following is an excellent piece\u2026 thanks to an apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation. There are few things more beautiful than an apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Written by senior writer David French in National Review, with all emphasis mine\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a market for grace in American politics.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Given the spirit of our times, things could have gone so differently. On November 3, when Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson mocked Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw\u2019s eye patch, saying he looked like a \u201chit man in a porno movie\u201d \u2014 then adding, \u201cI know he lost his eye in war or whatever\u201d \u2014 it was a gift from the partisan gods.<\/i><\/p>\n A liberal comic had gone too far. He had mocked a man who was maimed in a horrific IED attack, an attack that had taken the life of his interpreter and nearly blinded him for life. He mocked a courageous man\u2019s pain. And thus Crenshaw had attained the rarest position for a Republican politician: aggrieved-victim status. He was free to swing away.<\/i><\/p>\n Instead, <\/i>he refused to be offended.<\/i><\/b> He noted that the joke was bad, but his handling of the whole affair was \u2014 as the Washington Post described him \u2014 \u2018cool as a cucumber.\u2019 Then \u2018Saturday Night Live\u2019 called. The show wanted to apologize, and they wanted Crenshaw on-air. He said yes, and this happened\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n [Davidson <\/i>apologized.<\/i><\/b> Crenshaw appeared and <\/i>accepted his apology<\/i><\/b>.]<\/i><\/p>\n It was the act of grace heard \u2019round the nation.<\/i><\/b> Davidson came on the \u2018Weekend Update\u2019 set and offered his apology, and then Crenshaw joined. He took some good-natured shots at Davidson \u2014 Crenshaw\u2019s phone had an Ariana Grande ringtone (Grande recently broke her engagement with Davidson), and he mocked Davidson\u2019s appearance \u2014 but then things took a more serious turn.<\/i><\/p>\n Crenshaw briefly spoke of the meaning of the words \u2018never forget\u2019 to a veteran, saying that \u2018when you say \u2018never forget\u2019 to a veteran, you are implying that, as an American, you are in it with them.\u2019 Then he addressed his next words to Davidson: \u2018And never forget those we lost on 9\/11 \u2014 heroes like Pete\u2019s father. So I\u2019ll just say, Pete, never forget.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n Davidson\u2019s father was a firefighter. He died trying to save others when Davidson was a young boy. In one moment, Crenshaw not only honored a true hero, but also softened American hearts towards Davidson, casting him in a new light. He\u2019s a man who carries his own pain.<\/i><\/p>\n It turns out that <\/i>there\u2019s a market for grace<\/i><\/b> in American politics. Within minutes, clips of the apology and Crenshaw\u2019s tribute to Davidson\u2019s dad rocketed across Twitter. As of this morning, the YouTube clip of the moment \u2014 not even 48 hours old \u2014 already had more than 5 million views. And it seems as if this is no act. This act of grace was an expression of who Crenshaw is\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n There are those who argued before the election that, to punish the GOP for Trump, even conservatives should vote against Crenshaw. Vote against a good man for the sake of beating a bad man not on the ballot. That would \u2018send a message,\u2019 they said.<\/i><\/p>\n But it turns out that one of the messages we needed to hear came from Crenshaw himself\u2026 that <\/i>grace isn\u2019t weakness<\/i><\/b> and that <\/i>reconciliation can sometimes be more compelling than division\u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n [Crenshaw\u2019s] future is not yet known. But when faced with a clear political temptation \u2014 to indulge in a period of partisan pugilism \u2014 he chose a different path. He (and Davidson) gave Americans a moment they needed. It turns out it was also a moment they wanted.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Thanks to Dan Crenshaw, Pete Davidson, and SNL. There is<\/i><\/b> a market for grace.<\/p>\n Did I mention there are few things more beautiful than an apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation?<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rarely do I post a piece straight from any clearly left or right leaning publication; they aren’t always helpful in encouraging respectful dialogue with those who think differently, as we learn to listen well and sharpen one another. Today is different. The following is an excellent piece\u2026 thanks to an apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation. There … <\/p>\n